Attractions

Stop by the Northern Frontier Regional Visitor Centre (tel. 877/881-4262 or 867/873-4262; www.northernfrontier.com), on 49th Street (just north of 49th Ave.) on the west edge of town, to see a number of exhibits explaining the major points of local history, ecology, and Native culture. You'll want to put the kids on the "bush flight" elevator, which simulates a flight over Great Slave Lake while slowly rising to the second floor. The center also has a video library and information on walking trails, parks, and outdoor activities. Also pick up a free parking pass, enabling you to escape the parking meters. It's open May through August daily 8:30am to 6pm, and the rest of the year Monday through Friday 8:30am to 5:30pm and weekends noon to 4pm.

The Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre, on the shore of Frame Lake (tel. 867/873-7551; www.pwnhc.ca), is a museum in a class all its own. You'll learn the history, background, and characteristics of the Dene and Inuit peoples, the Métis, and pioneer whites through dioramas; artifacts; and talking, reciting, and singing slide presentations. It depicts the human struggle with an environment so incredibly harsh that survival alone seems an accomplishment. Admission is free. June to August, it's open daily 10:30am to 5:30pm; September to May, it's open Tuesday to Friday 10:30am to 5pm and on weekends noon to 5pm.

Rising above Old Town, the Bush Pilot's Monument is a stone pillar paying tribute to the little band of airmen who opened up the Far North. The surrounding cluster of shacks and cottages is the original Yellowknife, built on the shores of a narrow peninsula jutting into Great Slave Lake. It's not exactly a pretty place, but definitely intriguing. Sprinkled along the inlets are half a dozen bush-pilot operations, minuscule airlines flying charter planes as well as scheduled routes to outlying areas. The little floatplanes shunt around like taxis, and you can watch a landing or takeoff every hour of the day. Off the tip of the Old Town peninsula lies Latham Island, which you can reach by a causeway. The island has a small Native Canadian community, a few luxury homes, and a number of B&Bs.

Tours & Excursions

Aurora World Corp. (tel. 867/873-4776; www.raventours.yk.com) offers a 2 1/2-hour city tour, exploring the sights, culture, history, and ecology of Yellowknife. Aurora also offers a number of more specialized trips, particularly during the winter, including dog-sledding, snowmobiling, and wildlife tours, plus excursions just outside the city to view the Aurora Borealis. Yellowknife is on the 60th parallel which, at its longitude, places it directly within an oval-shaped range at which the aurora appears most often and vividly. Tours generally run 4 hours in length and include a meal of local foods, photography tips, and an astronomy lesson.

DogPaddle Adventures (tel. 867/444-2242; www.dogpaddleadventures.com) offers, by season, canoe fishing trips or winter excursions involving dog-sled rides, snowmobiling, ice-fishing, and snow-shoeing, plus a primer on dog handling for mushers. Rates range between C$50 (US$50/£25) for an hour's dog-sled ride to C$250 (US$250/£125) per person for a day of ice-fishing and dog-sledding at a remote day camp.